Insanity
A psychological supernatural horror novel by Jonathan Eckelman. Summary Three friends get jobs as teachers at a struggling elementary school in England, only to later discover a sinister force in the school that influences its students into insanity. Synopsis One-by-one, three people(Lilian Furby, Maxwell Hunter, Jane Kendricks) lose their jobs. After they meet in a bar, they discuss their recent unfortunes with their careers, and how it was too much to handle. They agree they need to take a new direction, and later talk to their agents. Their agents say that jobs as a teacher opened up in Crossguard Elementary School in England; the three accept the jobs. They're introduced to the head teacher, who elaborates what their jobs would involve, and that teacher Mr. Williams is second-in-command and to report anything to him first. Max notices a large leather coat in the head teacher's office, which he immediately dismisses. Lilian talks to Mr. Williams, who helps her start a class with some third years. Jane teaches a fourth years class, while Max teaches a Fifth years class. Lilian succeeds with bonding with the students as well as teaching them, though Jane and Max experience some difficulty. Lilian tries to help a special eduacation student named Jacky Gilmore, who demonstrates hullucinations. They end up becoming personal friends, with Jacky telling her about his eccentric family, as well as dreams about a "bodyless figure with a large overcoat" stalking him. Lilian is confused by the meanings of a "bodyless figure". The next day, the school experiences a brief blackout. While on a bathroom break, Jacky claims he saw the figure from his dreams, which Lilian reluctantly investigates. Though she doesn't find anybody, she sees a large overcoat hanging from the ceiling, something that puzzles her. The night of the second day, Lilian brings Max over to help Jacky. They discover that Jacky often feels resentment towards the other students and jealousy. After Lilian criticises Jacky's feelings, he in reply berates her for her one-dimensional level of the world. Max apparently calms Jacky, then he and Lilain leave. The next day, a child vanishes, scaring the school. Jane and Max each want to call the local authorities, but Mr. Williams convinces them not to. That night, Lilian, feeling sympathy for Jacky, goes back to his house to help him. As she leaves, she just gets a glimpse of someone before she dies. Mrs. Wilkes, a teacher at the school as well as an undercover P.I., interrogates Mr. Williams about the kid's disappearance. Mr. Williams gets suspicious about her true intentions and leaves. He later has a meeting with Max and Jane, who are worried about Lilian's and the vanished student's location, tells them about his talk with Mrs. Wilkes. He confesses his suspicion in her. Max is intrigued by this and eventually tries to locate Wilkes. He doesn't find her at home, though he later sees her walking to an open field. It's reported in the morning that Jacky vanished. Mr. Williams tells them that Jacky had been in the open field that Max saw earlier. Both he and Jane believe that Wilkes is involved in the disappearances. Two students disappear not longer that day. Jane interrogates Wilkes, who reveals she's a P.I., and elaborates she was hired to investigate the many strange occurences at the school. Max suspects he's being stalked, and occasionally throughout the day notices a figure following him. Another blackout occurs. Wilkes finds Max and Jane, telling them she snuck into a room that surveiled the school via cameras, and says she saw a large, featureless. figure with an overcoat. Lilian believes her, while Max believes Wilkes had something to do with it. Wilkes finds her classroom splattered with blood, and instantly alerts Max and Jane to this. While Max sees it, Jane doesn't. Later, as Wilkes tries to follow Mr. Williams, she's killed by a student with a kitchen knife in the cafe. Jane goes to the cafe, where she finds Max there and assumes he's the killer. Max is unable to convince her of his innocence, and flees with a kitchen knife. Characters Lilian Furby A former financial advisor who takes a job as a teacher. She has a very strictly scientific approach to the world, often rediculing human feelings. = Maxwell Hunter = Jane Kendricks Martin Williams The maths teacher at the elementary school and the apparent main antagonist later secondary antagonist. Joanne Wilkes A P.I. posing as an art teacher, investigating the circumstances at the school. The Nightmare An entity responsible for driving the inhabitants of Crossguard to insanity. Jacky Gilmore A schitzophernic young student who is driven to cannibalism and murder. The tertiary antagonist.